Cyber attacks on the roads? To prevent this, the USA is targeting certain Chinese and Russian vehicle components. This could also have an impact on German manufacturers.
The US government plans to ban certain vehicle components from China and Russia from the American market. This affects vehicle networking and autonomous driving systems that could potentially be compromised by cyberattacks, as well as imported vehicles themselves, the US Department of Commerce announced. The new regulation would therefore apply to all vehicles used on public roads, including cars, trucks and buses. Vehicles that are not intended for road traffic, such as agricultural or mining vehicles, would be excluded.
“Cars today are equipped with cameras, microphones, GPS systems and other technologies that are connected to the internet,” said US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “It’s easy to imagine how foreign actors could abuse that.” One administration official pointed out that while the US is not currently heavily dependent on the technologies in question – particularly from China – that could change in the future if preventive measures are not taken.
German manufacturers must also check supply chains
After a 30-day public consultation period, the Department of Commerce will review comments received from industry representatives, advocacy groups and other stakeholders before adopting the final rules.
In addition to American manufacturers, German and other international automobile manufacturers may also have to adapt their supply chains to the new requirements. When asked, a government representative stressed that they are working closely with the industry to make the transition as smooth as possible.
Specifically, the rules stipulate that vehicles equipped with certain software components will be banned from model year 2027 onwards. A ban on hardware is planned from model year 2030. To facilitate the transition, there will be a staggered implementation: While a one-year transition period is planned for software, as this is rarely found in vehicles, the situation is more complex for hardware, according to US information. “The supply chains for hardware components in the area of vehicle networking are more closely linked to Chinese suppliers,” explained a government representative. “That is why we have granted a four-year transition period for switching to alternative suppliers.”
Source: Stern
